Official: Abiteboul returns to Renault

Caterham team boss Cyril Abiteboul has returned to Renault Sport F1 where he has been appointed Managing Director, one of several changes at the troubled company.

In a brief statement issued this morning, the struggling French manufacturer said:

"The Renault Group regretfully announces the departure of Mr. Jean-Michel Jalinier, President and Managing Director of Renault Sport F1, who has decided to exercise his right to retirement for personal reasons.

From July 3, Renault Sport F1’s new President will be Mr. Jerome Stoll who will take on the role in addition to his current responsibilities as Chief Performance Officer and Group Sales and Marketing Director.

Mr. Cyril Abiteboul has been appointed to fill the newly-created position of Managing Director of Renault Sport F1, reporting to Mr. Jerome Stoll."

Abiteboul is a graduate of the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble. He joined Renault in 2001 and was named Development Director of Renault F1 Team in 2007, before becoming Executive Director in 2010. In September 2012, he moved to Caterham as General Manager.

Jean-Michel Jalinier is a graduate of France’s Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Metiers, with doctorates in mechanical engineering and science. He joined Renault in 1985 and has held different positions within the Group, notably at the factories in Cleon and Flins. He became General Manager of the Group’s cooperation with General Motors and was the Trafic Programme Manager for the LCV Division in 1996, before becoming the General Manager of Renault Russia in 2003, then President of Renault Brazil in 2009. Jean-Michel Jalinier was named Chairman and Managing Director of Renault Sport F1 in 2012, reporting directly to Renault’s President and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn.